Stellantis who build Abarth, probably offer the largest range of electric vehicles of any manufacturer & whilst Abarth is always going to be on the edges of the fleet sector, an electric 600e kitted out in Abarth livery & offering just a bit more power is still very welcome indeed.
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Based on the Fiat 600e, it comes on its own platform the Perfo-eCMP.
Model choice
Two versions. The Turismo offering 240hp & limited edition Scorponissima, with 280hp. This is a joint project between Stellantis, Motor Sport & Abarth & was the version we drove.
Battery & range
Both versions are powered by a 54kWh battery offering a 207 mile driving range.
Performance
Impressive with Turismo good for 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds, Scorponissima in 5.85 seconds, with both reaching a top speed of 124mph.
Outside
Aggressive, so 20″ alloys, with bespoke Michelin tyres, 380mm brakes with callipers by Alcon & a mechanical limited slip differential. Plus a full body kit & plenty of Abarth wording & Scorpion logos of course. The chunky rear wing is distinctive like something off a rally car & the colour Hypnotic Purple, is not for the conservative.
Inside
The Scorpion & Abarth logo touches continue inside with ABARTH written on the passenger front dashboard, a yellow Scorpion in the centre of the steering wheel with yellow stitching around the seat edges. The highlight are the Sabelt sports seats which feature an integrated headrest. Elsewhere the fit & finish aren’t bad but some cheaper hard, textured plastics have been used lower down.
Practicality
Front seat passengers have plenty of room but sat behind , the leg space is tight, whilst head room is just okay. Definitely only room on board for four.
The glovebox is tiny, but generous front door pockets, a sliding armrest with storage beneath & a covered centre compartment hiding the USB inputs do make up for this.
The boot offers 360 litres of space, 1231 litres if you fold the seats down & comes with a useful area beneath the boot floor large enough to store the charging cable.
Standard features
A 6 speaker audio system, 7” TFT Digital Cluster, Abarth Uconnect Infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay, 1o” Touchscreen with Integrated SatNav, Adaptive Cruise Control, keyless Go, automatic climate control, electric parking brake, a 3 spoke steering wheel, Abarth Scorpionissima Side Sticker, LED Rear Signature Lights, Led Reflector Headlamps & glossy black B-pillar & wing mirrors.
Charging
With on-board 11kW it will take 5hours 45 minutes to fully charge from 0-100% on your home charger. We recommend Rolec; http://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging Away from home the Abarth will charge at speeds of up to 100kWh
Driving
The three driving modes are called Turismo equivalent to Eco, Scorpion Street, which would be Comfort & Scorpion Track for Sport. Turismo lowers performance to 148hp & top speed to 93mph, Scorpion Street to 201hp & 112mph, with Scorpion Track releasing the most fun & 124mph with 254lbs of torque & 280hp on our Scorponissima version.
Unsurprisingly, we spent most of our commute in Turismo – it’s also worth noting that there’s a B regeneration function on the gear selector- so lighter steering & a less firm ride are offered. Go for either Scorpion mode & the accelerator set-up alters & the steering gets heavier so that in Track Mode, it feels incredibly sharp & almost brutal as you traverse a set of winding corners.
The mechanical slip-diff enters the equation here & with those Michelin tyres offering excellent grip, you get very precise handling from the cars torquiest setting. And a praise too for the excellent brakes, which even in regeneration mode don’t get in the way of having fun. Overall it drives better in performance mode than another EV at its price point.
Cabin & Comfort
The infotainment systems very easy to work with if the screen itself is a little small. Wireless iPhone connectivity was excellent & you can easily disable the loud safety warnings & fake noise as desired.
There’s no doubting the Scorponissima’s a performance EV, because the large alloys, Michelin tyres & tight suspension, which are brilliant on an open road, aren’t quite as comfortable when you’re driving over poor tarmac. Having said that plenty of electric cars are like this so it’s not a deal breaker.
Pros
Enormous fun & at £39,885 you’d be hard pressed to get anything more enjoyable at this price.
Cons
Fidgety ride over poor tarmac. Real world range is probably 160 miles.
Verdict
Even with just 3% BIK on the table, we’d have to say that you’d choose the Scorponissima with your heart not your head but for company car drivers who don’t need a high driving range, your daily commute in this would be an absolute blast. It’s nigh on impossible not to drive it quickly at low speeds so the range does inevitably suffer. But if you can handle that this Abarth will make you smile, a lot !
A Firenze Viola 3.75/5
